Pomona could sue over plan for bridge

POMONA - Although they support extending the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension from Azusa to Montclair, Pomona officials have concerns about some aspects of the project within the city and they intend to have their voices heard - even if it requires litigation.

At the top of the list of concerns is a massive bridge that would take the light rail line over Towne Avenue as well as concerns about traffic congestion on Garey Avenue, both in the northern side of the city.

In a March 5 letter to the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority, Mayor Elliott Rothman spells out the city's con

cerns. The letter ends by saying that if the final environmental impact report for the project is approved without addressing the city's concerns, Pomona "will have no other option than to pursue legal action to protect its interests."

The city is opposed to the Construction Authority's plans for a bridge that would carry the light rail line's cars over Towne Avenue.

The bridge would take up about 1,000 feet on either side of Towne Avenue and would reach its highest point over Towne, Construction Authority representatives said recently.

Such a bridge "starts going into our buildable space," Rothman said.

The Construction Authority's plans call for building the Gold Line's track within a corridor that already is home to the BNSF Railway freight line, said Lisa Levy Buch, public affairs director for the Construction Authority.

Gold Line tracks will be built to the north of the freight line's but in an area to the west of Garey Avenue. The freight line has a customer that needs to have access to the freight line tracks, Buch said.

The Gold Line tracks must shift from north of the freight line track to the south and back to the north, she said. The bridge will help accommodate that shift.

In addition, the bridge will allow the light rail line's cars to travel above the freight train tracks and the Metrolink commuter train tracks, Buch said.

The bridge doesn't necessarily have to be built at Towne, she said.

"We could do it anywhere. It could be in the middle of a block," said Buch, but building it over Towne Avenue is seen as a good option because it would play a part in easing traffic congestion in the area.

To be effective, the bridge must be high enough to go over the two existing rail lines and needs room to climb gradually before reaching its apex, Buch said.

City administrators said recently the bridge will essential look like a freeway overpass that divides neighborhoods much like freeways have already done in addition to creating visual blight.